Winehouse's husband loses jail term appeal

The husband of troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse lost his appeal Monday against a jail sentence for a vicious attack on a pub landlord and a subsequent attempt to cover it up.

Blake Fielder-Civil's challenge against his 27-month term was rejected by two judges at the Court of Appeal in central London.

The 26-year-old, jailed in July, was released from prison on November 5 on condition that he resides at a drug rehabilitation centre.

Judge Christopher Pitchford, dismissing the appeal, expressed the court's encouragement to Fielder-Civil to continue the progress he has made since then.

It was only if "these attempts are successful that he has a worthwhile future", Pitchford added.

Fielder-Civil was present in court and said afterwards: "I am disappointed but not really surprised."

His counsel Jeremy Dein argued before Pitchford and fellow judge Richard Brown that the 27-month sentence was "manifestly excessive".

Dein said Fielder-Civil had a "long and wretched history of involvement with drugs and alcohol" but was a man of good character who had suffered a "great ordeal while incarcerated".

Fielder-Civil admitted attacking the 36-year-old landlord of a pub in east London in June 2006, and of then trying to persuade the man not to give evidence against him.

The judge in the original court case, David Radford, branded him a coward and a disgrace.

Grammy Award-winning star Winehouse, who did not attend Monday's hearing, is fighting her own drug and alcohol problems.

Via afp